Google has been flirting with virtual reality but never quite fully dived into it until now. In May last year, the company announced a partnership with action-camera maker GoPro to enable 360 degree view in virtual reality, using a new technology that Google had developed.

The company said in November its video-sharing site YouTube supported virtual reality video. Viewers could view VR video using a cellphone and Google Cardboard viewer.

Oculus, the virtual reality company Facebook bought in 2014, has started accepting pre-orders for its much-awaited virtual reality headset, Rift, which will ship in Q1.